


Self Isolation

by AlternateLaw447



Category: Full House (US)
Genre: AU, College Age-DJ, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:21:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23186938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlternateLaw447/pseuds/AlternateLaw447
Summary: Most of the Tanner family are quarantined on a cruise ship, and Joey and DJ (Returned home from college) are stuck alone in the house. Will they despair, or will they find a thread of silver in the storm clouds encircling the world?
Relationships: Joey Gladstone/DJ Tanner
Kudos: 7





	Self Isolation

Joey sat nervously, his hands running along the steering wheel of the Mercedes as he waited for DJ to come out of the disturbingly empty, depopulated airport. She had flown in from Pullman, since the school was shut down due to the virus and wanted to spend the time at home instead of in the increasingly paranoid, empty dorms.

Finally, she walked out of the airport and up to the car. It had been her idea for him not to "expose himself" to the airport, and while the thought of DJ being in there was not comforting to him, he had complied with her request.

As she threw her bag in the back seat, she looked at him, obviously miserable. 

"Hey, it's alright, DJ." Joey told her, hoping he sounded confident and comforting.

"My entire family except you are quarantined on a cruise ship in Japan, Joey. This is not alright." She said, her voice almost petulant. 

Joey grimaced. He never knew what to say when things were bad; he was terrible that way. For a moment, he cast about in his mind for the right thing, the way to smooth this over and make DJ feel better about the awful situation they were in.

"I know things are tough. But we have to be strong for them, now. We can't do anything but hope and wait and pray, and take care of each other." He said, finally.

DJ looked almost abashed as she looked at the foot-well of the car, silent for a long moment. Joey wished he could see what she was thinking, know what turmoil her mind was in so he could soothe it. 

"You're right, Uncle Joey. I'm just... I don't know. It's so much to deal with. School, and Dad and... it's a lot." DJ said, finally, letting out a long breath.

Joey reached over and patted her shoulder. The road was almost empty; people were staying home. It was almost eerie, but he was grateful. The drive was stressful enough without the added pressure of traffic. 

They pulled up to the dark house, and walking in it struck him just how quiet it was. Danny and Jesse had asked him to come along on the cruise, but he had said no; there had been no reason, but it just felt like the right thing to do. Now he was alone here, save for DJ.

DJ, for her part, looked even more off put by the silence of the house. 

"Well... I say we make dinner in a few, once we get your stuff put away?" Joey said, finally, as the silence grew unbearable.

"That sounds good. I didn't eat anything on the planes." DJ offered, looking over at him with a look of loss. She needed him to be an anchor, Joey realized. God help them both.

Dinner turned out to be frozen pizza, which was the easiest thing they could both agree on. They ate in the living room, house rules be damned, watching mindless TV and avoiding discussing anything of any import at all. The mindlessness seemed to cheer DJ up somewhat; Joey was glad to see some of her shine return.

They stayed up after that, watching a movie together, and then another, making full use of Danny's Amazon Prime subscription. Finally, Joey was tired enough to announce he was going to bed. DJ nodded, looking a little nervous, but agreed it was time. 

Sleep came with difficulty to Joey. Ever since Danny had been quarantined, his mind had gone to dark places at night. Tossing and turning, his thoughts wandering in circles. It was frustrating.

At some point during the night, he woke up into the quiet stillness of his room. The door had opened; a shaft of light was coming through, silhouetting someone in a long night shirt.

"DJ?" he asked, confused.

"Uncle Joey. I had a nightmare. Can I talk to you for a little bit? Till I calm down?" DJ said from his doorway, her voice small and afraid. 

He considered sending her away. She was nineteen now, a woman in college. It was unbecoming for her to come to her uncle for succor after a nightmare. But the thought was banished as he took her in; her nervous stance, her arm wrapped around her belly. It hurt to see her so reduced. 

"Sure, sure, come on in." he said, popping on the light on his nightstand. 

Seeing her in the light was worse. She had bags under her eyes, and her nightgown was one he recognized from years ago, with a faded unicorn that was slowly peeling away from the shirt. 

She came in and sat down on the edge of his bed, nervous, fidgeting.

"So how you doing?" Joey asked, cautiously.

"I had a nightmare about mom. That she was crying beside Dad's grave." DJ said, flatly, before looking down at her hands. 

"Hey, your dad will be fine, DJ, I know he will."

DJ nodded, then, inexorably, turned to Joey and fell towards him, pulling him into a hug and crying. 

Through her tears, he heard her halting, stuttered words. "Why do they have to be on a stupid cruise, Joey? Why!?"

Joey stroked her back, softly. "It's just how it is, DJ. It's just how it is and it will be OK, even if it is not OK right now." he told her, as she squeezed him tighter, her breath hitching as she cried.

When she finally stopped, and let go, pulling back, Joey felt his heart breaking for her. She was a scared kid whose only support was on a cruise ship on the other side of the planet, her whole family almost, while a pandemic raged. She must be in hell, he thought, as her tear-reddened eyes looked into his.

"I know it's stupid, but, could I sleep here? I...never mind..." DJ said, looking away embarrassed.

"Yes. You can sleep here, DJ. It's OK." Joey told her, squeezing her shoulder to show he meant it. She looked at him, and a ghost of a smile slid across her face. 

"Thank you..." She told him. 

They laid down side by side, and Joey wondered how long it had been since a woman had been in this bed. Months at least; maybe years. He honestly could not remember. So much of his life was his family and work, there just had not been time, and besides, inviting a girl to the house always felt odd to him. Better to get a hotel, or stay at her place.

He was shocked how fast he fell asleep, listening to DJ's even breathing and feeling her soft, gentle warmth next to him. His last thought before he faded into sleep was that humans were meant to sleep together. 

The next morning, he woke up feeling a heavy weight across his chest; he reached up and stroked the back of the girl on him, sighing contentedly. For a brief moment, he forgot everything, then it came flooding back. DJ was laying across his chest, her arm curled against him. She felt incredibly warm and soft, and Joey found himself wanting to drift back to sleep. 

She stirred as he moved, and sat up, looking over at him bashfully.

"Sorry for climbing all over you." She said, but did not actually look all that sorry. 

Joey shrugged. "It's alright, it was nice to wake up like that." He said, before sitting up himself.

DJ just nodded. She got up and went to the door, before looking back. 

"I'm going to get a shower and then we can have breakfast?" She said, looking hopeful. 

Joey was concerned. She seemed so lost, so diminished. It was like the crisis had peeled years off her age, turning her into a nervous child. 

"Of course. I'd like that." He said, getting up himself to take a shower and get ready for the day. He tried to ignore how happy his statement made DJ.

A quick shower later, and Joey felt better about the situation. Of course DJ was upset and needed some comfort. Hell, he needed comfort, too. The situation was sideways, and he did not want to meet the man who did not need comfort during times like this.

DJ was already making breakfast when he got upstairs, fried eggs and toast. He had to notice she cooked the eggs just as he preferred, semi-soft. 

"Uh, we're kind of low on supplies?" She said, when she saw him at the head of the stairs. 

"Yeah, I figure we can hit the store later, unless you would rather I go alone?" Joey offered, sitting down at the table.

DJ plated up the eggs and toast and brought them over.

"No, I'll go with you." she offered.

Joey nodded.

They ate in a companionable silence, before getting dressed for the chilly air and heading out. DJ fiddled with the radio, finally settling on "70's on 7", and then leaned into her seat, looking out the window contemplatively.

"I don't know what's worse, that there's no people, or that I know there are people, and their just hiding." She said, after a long moment of looking at the apartment buildings they were driving by. The streets had been empty of pedestrians, and few cars shared the road.

"I like to think of them enjoying themselves. Curled up on the couch watching Netflix and eating popcorn." Joey offered, after a moment.

DJ thought about it. "Or reading a book by the window, or painting a picture of the skyline." She offered.

"Ooh, or knitting. That always looked really relaxing." Joey added, smiling at her.

DJ laughed, and then looked at him more seriously. 

"You always know how to make me feel better, Uncle Joey. You always have." She said, her voice soft. 

"You always make me feel better, too, just by being there. I am glad we're together, here." he said, to which she just smiled and nodded.

The store was a desolation; toilet paper was gone, hand sanitizer, most canned goods. Rows of empty shelves showed how scared people were. They made due with what they could find, DJ looking perturbed at the obvious disruption of the norm. Joey did not say anything, for fear it would just draw attention to how abnormal the situation was. 

As they left the store, a sort of cloud hung over them. The ride home was morose; DJ declined to even turn the radio on. There did not seem to be any way to break the mood, and Joey was not even sure if he wanted to, at this point. The situation was grim, after all.

After unloading their meager haul of groceries, the phone rang; it was Danny, telling them there was no change from the previous day, and giving them a quick update on everyone's mood and attitude.

DJ talked to him and cried, a little, which hurt Joey's heart to see. But after the call, she did seem more calm and focused.

"You think they'll be out of there soon?" She asked, her voice curious.

Joey shrugged. "It's up to the authorities, and I have no idea." DJ just nodded, looking down.

"How about we watch some movies?" He offered, hoping it would snap her out of it. 

"Only if... No, it's to much." DJ said, and turned away, wrapping her arms around herself.

"DJ, I'm going to shoot it straight. You could ask me for anything right now and I would agree." Joey told her, walking over and standing in front of her.

"It's just. I'd like it if you cuddled with me, while we watched? I know it's weird, I know that, but..." DJ said, looking around as if to run away. 

"This is a rough time and you need comfort, and it's never wrong to seek comfort." He told her, pulling her in close for a hug, showing what he meant. "And I would even like it, because I need comfort, too." 

They went to the living room, and cuddled up together on the couch, pulling the afghan around them. The TV played mindless sitcoms and comedy films, and they laughed, but it was hollow.

After a light dinner of rice and beans, DJ toyed with her fork and looked at her plate. Joey had come to know her well enough to know that she was thinking of something that was making her uncomfortable.

"Do you want to sleep downstairs again?" he asked, not wanting to phrase it any differently. She nodded, sheepishly, as though being embarrassed at being read so easily. 

After they both showered and got ready for bed, he was surprised to see her in slightly different sleep attire, a tank top and basketball shorts. She got into the bed like she owned it, which Joey found more than a little endearing. 

Unlike every night since Danny called to tell him they were quarantined, Joey fell asleep quickly, even as he felt something warm and soft embrace him.

The next morning, DJ was again draped across him, but this time clinging closer and holding him tighter. Joey slid a hand along her hair, feeling the silky warmth. He knew he was skating on thin ice. His feelings for DJ were changing, morphing into something new. 

It scared him that he was not scared of that.

DJ murmured something, and turned her head to look at him. 

"What was that?" he asked, taking his hand away.

"I said you're more comfortable than a pillow. And warmer." DJ told him, sitting up. 

"I'll take that as a compliment." Joey said, stretching out a little.

DJ looked at the clock, and frowned. "Dad should be calling soon." She told him, looking at the phone almost ruefully. Joey had to agree. Hearing that there was no change was disheartening.

Oatmeal with walnuts made up breakfast, and Joey was starting to worry a little when the phone finally rang. DJ answered, and smiled a quavery little smile as her and her father talked. 

Joey talked, too, and noticed Danny seemed off, somehow; like something was distracting him. He brushed it off. Anyone would seem a little off, given the situation. There was no news and no change, and Danny would let them know tomorrow if that was different. 

It was only after he hung up that Joey noticed DJ looking at him intently.

"What's up?" He asked, curious.

"Something is wrong with dad. I don't think he's sick, but I do think he's hiding something." DJ said, her voice firm with conviction.

Joey considered how to respond carefully. 

"I think if he's hiding anything, he won't be hiding it for long. It's just not in his nature to keep a secret." he said, finally.

DJ did not look convinced, but let it drop. That was a sign of real maturity, so far as Joey was concerned; the DJ of a few years ago would have kept hounding about it until everyone went crazy.

They did not even discuss cuddling as they got onto the couch and snuggled up together. It felt to right, somehow, and the longer they did it the more right it felt. DJ chose the movies, today, and they were all thrillers. 

At one point, Joey's agent sent him a text. No new work - the clubs were shut down and the TV shows limiting performances. Joey did not much care. His cost of living was basically nil and he had enough in the bank to hold him through a hell of a drought.

DJ noticed, though. 

"So how long until you have to work?" She asked, scrunching her brow.

Joey shrugged against her. 

"As long as it takes, I suppose. I'm doing good enough that the money isn't an issue, at least. And I have written down some new material." He offered.

"I wish I could do that. Just work by yourself, for yourself." She answered, before snuggling back into his shoulder.

After dinner, DJ just announced she would be sleeping downstairs again, as comfortable as if she was going to her own room. Joey had to smile; at least some of her spirit was coming back.

While she showered, he looked over their supplies. They had enough to last until the weekend, probably, but after that it was going to get harder; another trip to the store would be necessary. 

He said nothing about it to DJ as she came into his room wearing a tank top and shorts again, though a different pair. Her hair was a in a pony tail and she looked so wholesome and pure that Joey actually ached, for a moment.

As she got into bed, he laid down and, carefully, gently, indicated she could lay across him if she wanted too. She did, and Joey slid his hand onto her shoulder, gently holding her. As she got comfortable, he let out a long, contented sigh.

Sleep came swiftly.

A strange feeling woke him up, late in the night. Something was touching him, gently stroking his length. DJ was sitting up, slightly, and had put one of her hands down the waist band of his sleep pants.

"What are you doing?" he asked, groggily, wondering if he was in some kind of dream.

"You make me feel good, Joey. I want you to feel good, too." DJ whispered to him, before squeezing him with a soft, smooth hand. Joey moaned, writhing into the sheets. 

"This is wrong, this is so wrong..." he said, and almost got up the energy to reach down and push her away. But it was to much. The feelings, the sensation, the loneliness and the stress. 

He had to let himself have this, no matter how wrong it was.

Her hand moved faster and his breath quickened. Joey had not had a hand job since he was in high school, and he had forgotten how good they felt. 

DJ, for her part, seemed engrossed in what she was doing. Her breath was quickening, too. Suddenly he felt himself getting close.

"I'm gonna finish..." He told her, tensing. 

She went faster and harder, and suddenly the urge was to much; he grunted as he spent his seed, and then almost sobbed from the release. Then the guilt hit him.

"Oh god I'm sorry..." he started to say, only to have her look at him and then put a finger up to his lips. 

"Shh. It's OK. I wanted to, remember? Did I make you feel good?" She asked, looking at him imploringly in the dark.

Joey nodded, almost afraid to speak again. "You did make me feel good, DJ. But, still..." 

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Then that's all that matters, OK? Now let's go back to sleep."

It took Joey a few dizzy minutes, but he did fall back to sleep, the sound of DJ's breath carrying him away.

The next morning, he woke with a jolt. DJ was still laying across him, and he felt a hot flush of embarrassment and shame. Had it been a dream? Was it worse if his own mind conjured it up or was it worse if it actually happened? What kind of sick, perverted monster was he?

DJ woke up and saw his distressed look, and reached up to touch his face. "Hey, hey, it's OK." she said.

"It really happened?" he asked, afraid of the answer but having to know.

DJ nodded. "It did, and it was my choice, Joey." She said, putting the emphasis on "my". "You didn't do anything wrong." 

Joey sat up and put his hands to his face.

"How can you say that? It... you're like a daughter to me, DJ." he said, his voice cracking.

DJ shushed him. 

"You know what you are to me? You're the one person in my life who was always on my side, the one person who always tried to cheer me up, to lift me up, to be there for me." She said, her voice soft and urgent. "And I never thought of you like my dad, do you know why?" 

Joey shook his head, every word she said hammering into his soul. 

"Because my father had to raise me, Joey. He had to be a disciplinarian, he had to tell me no, and set boundaries, and be a parent. But you? You were different. You let me spread my wings. I've felt this way about you for a while, now." 

Joey looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean, DJ?" he asked.

DJ thought for a moment, then sat up, as though deciding on some course of action.

"I mean I've found you attractive, as a man, for a while. I saw all the traits in you that anyone would want to see in someone they loved." She said, with such conviction that he was sure she had put her heart and soul into it.

"Don't you want to be with someone your own age?"

DJ shrugged. "Why? I've been there, I've done that. It's a disappointment. They don't know how to handle people, they don't know how to handle situations. Experience is what counts, and it's what they lack. You, though? You have that." 

Joey felt his head spinning. It was like the bottom had fallen out of his world and he was plunging headlong into a bottomless chasm. 

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but..." DJ took a deep breath. "But give me a chance? Give us a chance? Please?" She said, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

The plunging sensation got worse as he nodded. How could he tell her no? How could he turn her away after she had poured her heart out.

She lunged towards him and hugged him close, squeezing feverishly, and then kissing him, his neck, his cheeks, his lips. 

Joey hated that, from time to time, he had thought of DJ like this. Wondering what her kisses felt like or how smooth her skin was to the touch. Such thoughts had curdled his guts, made him feel ashamed, made him feel sick. 

But now she was here, and better than any momentary musing had ever allowed for. Everything about her was jacked up, the scent of her hair, the womanly feeling of her skin, the liquid warmth that wafted off of her.

The day went by in a blur, until Danny called. DJ answered the phone, and they talked, but Joey could see tension suddenly flood into her, as though some wire had been switched on.

Without saying another word, she handed the phone to Joey, and ran into the living room, hands over her face.

Danny's news today was that Steph had developed a cough and the quarantine was likely to go on "for a while." He stressed the positives, that this was not a death sentence, just, something to keep an eye on.

Joey said all the right things, comforting and acknowledging his friend's turmoil. But inside, he was roiling. What if this virus was more dangerous than people let on? Finally they said goodbye, and he sat the phone on the counter.

He had to go find DJ. 

It did not take long; she was laying on her side on the couch, curled up around a pillow, crying softly. Joey sat down next to her, his hand on her side. 

"She's sick and I can't help her." DJ said, looking over at him, miserable.

Joey nodded. It was the truth. He felt the same way. Whenever the girls had gotten sick, he had always doted on them, bringing them tea or blankets, entertaining them with jokes or tricks. But now Steph was out on some cruise ship, and he did not even know what kind of treatment she was getting.

Rather than talk about it, they just sat there in silence for a while. Finally, Joey stood up, and held his hand out to DJ. 

"I told you when you got here, we had to be strong for them. This is part of that, getting up and keeping moving." he said as she took his hand and stood up. She looked so small and delicate in front of him.

The realization that she was relying on him, that she needed him, hit Joey like a hammer. He was going to have to carry her through this, at least for a while. 

They went to the kitchen and he threw together a quick pasta dish, and they ate in silence. 

"I have a TV downstairs. I don't usually watch it, but... laying in bed and watching TV with you sounds pretty good." He said, after putting the plates in the sink. 

After they were in bed, safely snuggled under covers, with DJ's leg neatly wrapped around his, Joey felt content. Sure, there were problems both with his family and the world, but with DJ by his side they seemed manageable. Everything seemed manageable, really, with her there. 

He carded his fingers through her hair and she sighed contentedly.

"So what do we do now?" She asked, looking up at him, tired and overwhelmed.

"We take things one day at a time. We hope and we pray and we take care of ourselves so that when our family gets back to us, we can support them when they need it." Joey said, firmly.

DJ nodded her approval of this plan.

"And us?" She asked, after a moment.

Joey shrugged. "We figure that out, too. We'll have time alone to do it in." 

"That's good. Because I want to figure us out, Joey." 

"Me to, DJ, me to."

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very rough draft, but the story was simply to compelling not to write. I'm especially fond of the ending. The inclusion of an explicit scene was something that came to me last minute; I decided it added more than it detracted and left it in. DJ's college is Washington State University at Pullman, which is a quite nice college.


End file.
